As a result of a controversial decision made during the Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Newcastle United match, Anthony Taylor is facing a downgrade to the Championship.
In that particular game, Newcastle managed to secure a 2-1 lead over Wolves, and this came after Taylor awarded a contentious penalty kick.
The penalty was granted when Wolves’ forward, Hwang Hee-chan, was judged to have fouled Fabian Schar while trying to clear the ball from the penalty area. Despite Hwang later scoring an equalizer in the game, Wolves’ manager, Gary O’Neil, strongly criticized the penalty call, deeming it “scandalous.”
Even Newcastle’s manager, Eddie Howe, and the club legend, Alan Shearer, expressed their skepticism about the decision. Shearer, in particular, highlighted his confusion as to why the penalty was not overturned, even after several replays.
Although the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) did not formally apologize to Wolves for the controversial penalty, the consequence for Anthony Taylor is his removal from Premier League refereeing duties for the upcoming weekend. Instead, he has been assigned to officiate a Championship match between Preston and Coventry on Saturday.
This marks his first time officiating in the second tier since 2019. The following day, Taylor, who has been involved in refereeing Champions League matches and Euro 2024 qualifiers this season, is set to serve as the VAR official for the Luton versus Liverpool match.
Conversely, Jarred Gillett, who fulfilled the role of VAR official during the Wolves versus Newcastle game, has retained his position in the Premier League.
He has been assigned to oversee VAR duties for the Fulham versus Manchester United match on Saturday and will subsequently take on the role of the referee for the game between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa on Sunday.
